Tag Archives: Hindi class

Hindi classes for guests

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I am currently hosting a couple from the US who reached out to me through my website. They are staying in Varanasi for fifteen days. Although they had visited Varanasi about fifteen days ago, they returned to relax and enjoy the city further. They were looking for a Hindi teacher and music classes—Christina wanted to learn the flute, and David wanted vocal lessons. I introduced them to Mr. Deobrat Mishra, the owner of a renowned Indian classical music school, conveniently located next door. Christina and David are pleased with their music teachers.

For the past few months, I have been in touch with a Hindi teacher named Mr. Binit Mishra, who assists Prof. Virendra Singh. I decided it would be a good opportunity to evaluate Mr. Mishra’s teaching skills, so I introduced him to Christina and David. Although I had read positive reviews about Mr. Mishra online, I was initially unsure of their accuracy. After Mr. Mishra has conducted four classes, I am confident that I have found an excellent teacher.

It is a relief for me because now my guests have a teacher right at their doorstep, eliminating the need for them to search for a suitable instructor elsewhere. I asked Christina and David about their experience with Mr. Mishra, and they both praised him highly. They confirmed that he is a great teacher and that I can confidently recommend him to anyone seeking a Hindi teacher. Mr. Mishra comes daily to teach Christina and David for two hours each.

Swiss family takes Hindi class

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This is the first time I’m hosting a family, and they’re a couple with two children. Nadia is pursuing her master’s degree in Hindi Literature and Sanskrit at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, while her husband is an engineer. They’ve come to Varanasi for a family vacation. Nadia has chosen Mr. Vimal Mehra as her Hindi teacher. Mr. Mehra taught Hindi at Nadia’s university last year, which is why she selected him. I took Nadia to Mr. Mehra’s place yesterday; it’s just a three-minute walk from my house. Mr. Mehra seems like a very nice person. From what I’ve heard, he also teaches at the Wisconsin University’s Varanasi center alongside Mr. Virendra Singh.

This is the first time any of my guests will be learning Hindi with Mr. Mehra. Although I had heard of him before, I had never met him personally. Many people have spoken highly of him, so I’m confident that Nadia’s classes will be beneficial. Nadia is also pleased with her lessons; she appreciates that Mr. Mehra encourages her to speak, which she had been missing in her previous two years of learning Hindi. I’ve enjoyed hosting their family. They are incredibly organized, reflecting their Swiss background. For example, when Gaitano, Nadia’s older son, dropped a plastic wrapper on the floor, Nadia immediately addressed it and disciplined him, which I found impressive.

Gaitano isn’t fond of Indian food, so we’ve been preparing noodles and pasta specially for him. On the other hand, Elio, the younger child, seems to enjoy our food and eats with his parents. Nadia has brought plenty of instant food and powdered milk for Elio. He’s adorable and always smiling. Everyone in my family and my neighborhood adores him. Whenever he’s on the roof, people from other rooftops often look over to see him. Paolo, Nadia’s husband, speaks a bit of English, which creates a small language barrier between us, but we manage to communicate. I enjoy talking to him because I’m interested in learning about his job.

Gaitano doesn’t speak any English, but Elio speaks an international language—mostly just “Mama,” which I find endearing. Nadia plans to travel to Mumbai on February 20th after completing her Hindi classes here. Following that, she will visit Singapore and then Australia.

Pittsburgh girl studies Hindi

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A girl named Abbie from Pittsburgh reached out to me through Couchsurfing, inquiring about Hindi classes in Varanasi. I recommended she contact Mr. Virendra Singh. Although she had previously written to Bhasha Bharti, she hadn’t received a response. I asked Mr. Singh if he had availability for another student, and fortunately, he had an hour free. At the time, Abbie was still in Bhopal, so I advised her to get in touch with me once she arrived in Varanasi. I also thought it would be beneficial for her to meet Udo, another Hindi student staying at my place.

Abbie called me on the 21st. I invited her to my home to introduce her to Udo, but he was out at the time. Instead, I took her to Mr. Singh’s place. After meeting him, Abbie decided she would like to continue her Hindi studies with him for the rest of her time in India. Although she had already studied Hindi for three months in Indore, she felt she hadn’t learned much because her teacher there was a mathematics teacher, not a qualified Hindi instructor.

After her initial lesson with Mr. Singh, Abbie traveled to Khajuraho but plans to return by next Monday. With three months left in India, she has ample time to learn basic Hindi. I hope she makes good progress with Mr. Singh. Although she had hoped to stay at my place, I was unable to host her as all my rooms were already booked. Instead, she is staying at Ganga Yogi Lodge near Sonarpura, which fits her budget.

Udo from Germany learns some Hindi

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I have been hosting a German student named Udo, who is 58 years old and eager to learn Hindi in Varanasi. Uncle Udo reached out to me about a month ago after finding my email address through my Hospitality Club profile. He used to be a professor of German and has worked at various universities in England, Germany, and Japan. Currently, he owns a language school in Munich but does not teach there. Instead, he assesses unemployed individuals for government assistance.

When I asked Uncle Udo why he wanted to learn Hindi at his age, he shared an interesting story. A few years ago, a friend had given him a Hindi grammar book as a birthday gift, which he had never looked at. While cleaning his cupboard a couple of years back, he rediscovered the book and decided it was time to learn Hindi. He believes that starting something new is a great way to keep the mind active in old age, and I found this idea quite inspiring. Uncle Udo had already been studying Hindi online for three years and was familiar with the sounds and grammar.

When Udo asked me about Hindi classes in Varanasi, I recommended Professor Virendra Singh. At that time, Mr. Singh was not in Varanasi but was expected to return by the first week of October. I advised Udo to continue researching alternative Hindi teachers in case Mr. Singh did not return on time. Udo mentioned Mr. Binit Mishra, whom he found online, and who was reportedly located near my home, though I had never heard of him.

Udo arrived at my home on October 6th. On his first day, we went to meet Virendra Singh, who had indeed returned to Varanasi and resumed teaching. Mr. Singh agreed to teach Udo for one hour each day, which delighted him. Given Udo’s background as a professor, he wanted a qualified instructor, which was why he had not considered other schools in Varanasi.

Since starting his lessons with Mr. Singh, Udo has been very pleased with the instruction he’s received. He regards Mr. Singh as the best Hindi professor he has ever met. Although his Hindi is not perfect, he has made significant progress and his proficiency is far beyond what most people achieve after just two weeks of classes. Udo plans to visit Khajuraho and Gwalior before leaving India in ten days. He hopes to return to Varanasi next year to continue his Hindi studies and to experience festivals like Shivratri and Holi.

Chicago guest learns Hindi

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An anthropology student named Adam Sergent from the University of Chicago stayed at my guest house for a month. Like Lane and Dave, Adam wanted to learn Hindi with Bhasha Bharti. Although he had initially intended to study Hindi with Bhasha Bharti for three months, he had to adjust his plans. Bhasha Bharti didn’t have the availability for a full three months, so Adam decided to study in Varanasi for a month before moving to Mussoorie for the remaining two months. Adam had previously studied Hindi with Virendra Singh at Wisconsin University, so his proficiency was moderate.

When I asked why he wasn’t continuing with Virendra Singh in Varanasi, he explained that Virendra Singh spends summers in the U.S. teaching at Wisconsin University and only returns to India for the winter sessions. Adam attended classes at Bhasha Bharti for six hours a day, but found the schedule inconvenient, with classes from 8 to 11 in the morning and 4 to 7 in the evening. After about 15 days, he decided to leave early to conduct research related to his future work in India. He was pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago with a focus on labor at construction sites.

Adam had a positive experience learning Hindi at Bhasha Bharti, although he had some minor complaints about the classroom environment. He noted that his chair was positioned under a fan, causing dust to fall on him regularly. Despite these issues, he was generally satisfied with his time there. He then traveled to Delhi to observe construction sites for his research. He provided my brother’s contact information in Delhi for local assistance. Unfortunately, after spending just two days in Delhi and sampling the local food, Adam fell ill. He was hospitalized for three days and received four drips. This experience made me question the quality of Delhi’s food, as I also had problems during my last visit there.

Adam managed to reach Mussoorie to continue his Hindi studies at a local school, with accommodation arranged through the school. However, upon arrival, he found the door to his lodging locked. The house owner informed him that they had relocated to Dehradun for the month and could not host him.

Adam reached out to me for assistance in finding alternative housing in Mussoorie. I contacted a friend in Dehradun who helped locate a new place, but by the time it was found, Adam had already secured alternative accommodation. Due to a family issue, Adam decided to cancel his Hindi classes and leave Mussoorie earlier than planned.

Hindi Classes Varanasi

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A 61-year-old scientist named Dave from Fresno, USA, came to stay at my guest house for a month. He wanted to learn Hindi with Bhasha Bharti, as he had developed a strong passion for the language. Dave had spent about three years in Madhya Pradesh, India, working for the US Peace Corps in the 1960s. His Hindi was quite impressive, far surpassing the skills of many who take Hindi classes for months. He had scheduled his classes from the US, confident that there would be a suitable instructor available in Varanasi. However, upon arriving in Varanasi, Dave received a message from Bhasha Bharti stating that his classes had been canceled.

He wrote to them asking for an explanation but never received a reply. We visited Bhasha Bharti together to request that they accommodate Dave, but they showed no interest. Dave was disheartened, unsure of how to spend the next month in India. Eventually, he decided to revisit the village where he had previously worked with the US Peace Corps. Meanwhile, I inquired about other Hindi classes in Varanasi and discovered a professor named Prof. Virendra Singh, who teaches Hindi at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

We approached him to see if he could provide lessons for Dave. Professor Singh was very accommodating and agreed to teach Dave for one hour each day. Although Dave had hoped for at least 4 or 5 hours of instruction daily, Mr. Singh was unable to commit more time due to his existing obligations with students from Wisconsin University. Nonetheless, it was better than nothing. I was relieved that Dave found a professor. I asked Dave about Professor Singh’s teaching abilities, and he praised him highly, saying that Singh was the best Hindi professor he had ever encountered. I was also very impressed with Professor Singh.

Options for Studying Hindi in Varanasi

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Many foreign students come to India to learn Hindi, with most of them choosing either Mussoorie or Varanasi. They often say that there are only three reputable Hindi schools in India, and Varanasi and Mussoorie receive the most attention. One student from the University of Washington, Lane Rasberry, stayed at my guest house for five months. He came to Varanasi to learn Hindi at a school called Bhasha Bharti. Lane was also interested in outsourcing chemistry research to India and conducting his PhD research with an Indian scientist. He attended classes two hours a day, five days a week, paying Rs. 200-250 per hour, which was significantly more than what I used to pay to learn English.

Initially, Lane planned to study Hindi at Bhasha Bharti for the entire duration of his stay but decided to leave after two months due to various reasons. He then began practicing Hindi on his own in the Hindi-speaking environment of my home, with assistance from my family, especially my father. Although he was still searching for a Hindi teacher, he struggled to find a suitable one. I also attempted to find a teacher but was never satisfied with the individuals who claimed to be good Hindi teachers for foreigners.

We tried several teachers, but none were able to meet the expectations of either Lane or me. One of the teachers, who was quite self-absorbed, spent more time talking about himself than actually teaching Lane. Lane also approached my English teacher, who, upon learning that Lane paid Rs. 200 per hour to Bhasha Bharti, became very eager to attract him as a student. However, I felt it was better for Lane to continue with Bhasha Bharti if the fees were the same. I decided to stop visiting the English teacher to avoid the pressure of convincing Lane to switch.

By the time Lane left, his Hindi was sufficiently good for him to express his feelings. He could understand better than he could speak, and while I had no trouble understanding his Hindi, he still needed considerable practice. I wasn’t sure if he would be able to practice Hindi effectively once back in the US. Lane mentioned Skype as a potential tool to help him practice his Hindi, and I thought it was a great idea. I planned to continue communicating with him in Hindi through Skype to support his practice.